Lighter wick



Patented (let. 3, i922.

STATES 1,430,543 PALEEMT ()FFlCE.

WILLIAM M. GBOSVENOR AND JQSEPH I. X. HAROLD, 031" NEW YORK, N. Y; SAID HAROLD ASSIG-NOR T0 SAID GROSVENOR.

LIGHTER W'ICK.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we. lVILLLAM M. Gnos- VENOR and JOSEPH F. X. HARoLD, both citizens of the United States, and residents of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lighter Wicks, of which the following. is a specification.

Our invention relates to lighter wicks and more particularly to wicks adapted to be ignited by sparks as from sparking metals, hints or the like, to produce a flame. Uur invention is especially useful in connection with the common cigar, cigarette and pipe lighters and it will be described in this connection although it will be obvious that it has numerous other applications for starting other kinds of combustion, for illumination, signalling and many other uses.

It has been common to make lighters in which a wick or tuft soaked with gasoline, benzene or the like, was ignited by an electric spark or by the spark from flint and steel or from a pyrophoric alloy. Such lighters produced a flame but have the disadvantage that they require frequent refilling with a liquid and highly volatile and inflammable fuel and the loss of fuel by evaporation and leakage from the container is relatively large and the odor thereof and the sooty character of the fuels are objectionable.

Other forms of lighters are also wellknown in which a rope of tow is ignited by a spark and thereby caused to glow more or less according tothe draft applied thereto. Such lighters produce no flame, only an easily extinguished glowing end on the tow from which cigarettes and a fresh cigar might be easily lighted. But these dry wicks while conveniently carried, possess the disadvantage that they are wholly impracticable for relighting cigars or lighting a pipe, gas, flame, or pile of ordinary fuel of any kind, since no flame is produced from the tow. V i

The main object of the present invention is to provide a lighter wick overcoming more or less of the disadvantages above mentioned and which is dry and stable and when properly ignited, capable of producing a flame.

In carrying out the invention in a preferred form thereof we take suitable tow Application filed April 8,

wick and make it fat enough to produce a mob inflammable gas when glowing, by carefully adjusting both the quality and quantity of the fat material so as not to prevent the Wick from being ignited and from glowing by the presence of too much fat material. The glowing of the wick causes a rich inflammable gas to be produced from the fat material, as by volatilization or decomposition, orboth, and by providing means for suitably increasing the temperature of this gas at points, as for example, by a spark (hot point) produced electrically, or other Wise, so that it will ignite, a suitable flame is produced from which cigars, pipes and other articles may be efliciently lighted. By fat material we mean fatty bodies rich in constituents such as oils, fats, waxes, gums, resins, etc), which at a relatively low temperature of glowing yield readily the rich inflammable gases desired and which at ordinary temperatures are non-volatile. By such means and method a tow or suitable string or rope may be made to flame by the action of sparks and continue to burn with a flame strong enough to resist ordinary drafts, until snuffed out in the usual manner.

In order that those skilled in the art may more easily understand our invention, we will give one specific example of carrying out the same, which is as follows:

We take the usual tow wick commonly used in cigar and cigarette lighters adapted to be ignited to glow by sparks from a pyro phoric alloy, such sparksproduced by any well-known or suitable mechanism and such wick being about 3 inch in diameter and consisting of an internal core of loosely twisted strands and an outer cover or sheath of braided or woven threads. These tow wicks, both sheath and core, generally contain an oxidizingagent to promote the combustion of thefiber. Nitrates and chlorates may be used for this purpose but we prefer a wick, the core of which contains ammonium bichromate to the amount of about 3% or about 17 milligrams to the inch of length. The sheath we prefer to treat with potassium permanganate sufficient to give 113 a dark brownish tinge. Before drawingthe sheath over the core, the latter is thoroughly wet with an alcoholic solution containing 15% of resinous fat matter such as gum elemi and driedin a warm place, for example at 22C. for a day or so. The sheath is also preferably. impregnated with a solution of White wax or low melting paraflin in benzol although this may be. omitted, if desired, or the whole wick given the elemi treatment. With certain fibres we find that a second or double treatment with the fat matter solution gives somewhat better re sults. We then slip the wax sheath over the core impregnated with the gum and the wick is then ready for use. If the treatment with the gum elemi is used on both sheath and core, the wick may be impregnated with the gum after the sheath has been placed over the core.

. The wick having been put into a lighter, preferably one adapted to produce sparks from a pyrophoric alloy, is made to glow by such sparks and exhibits even greater readiness and rapidity in catchingthe spark and propagating the glow to the entire e'nd of the wick than does the tow which has not been made fat in this manner. It doesnot I however, burn into a flame but merely glows.

If now enough of the wick (about inch to 5 inch) be extended beyond the end of the tube of the lighter in which the wick is contained and the end of the wick is blown to a good glow, the rich inflammable gases pro-- duced from the fat matter in the wick are easily caused to burn into flame by a second vigorous sparking of the lighter, or by any suitable means for raising portions of this gas and the surrounding air to the higher temperature necessary forignition of the gas. a

The wick itself can be made to produce during the process of glowing, the necessary secondary sparking or production of local high temperature to inflame the the inflammable gases produced by the glowing of the wick. This we do, for example, as follows: To take 100 parts by weight of 95% grain alcohol and dissolve therein 20 parts by weight of gum elemi. Thereto we add 2 partsby weight of aluminum and 2 parts by weight of magnesium powder the powders being of a size to pass a 200 mesh screen or in the form of fine flakes of substantially the same weight as such powder. lVhen the powders are fully incorporated with the alcoholic solution of gum elemi we put suflicient of the core of the wick therein to take up, substantially all the liquid and sque'eze, pad or tumble the wick materials about until the liquid the powder contained therein is well distributed through the wick material. The core thus impregnated is.

c then dried and placed in the sheath as before when the wick. is ready for use.

\ Vhen the glow on such a wickis initiated in the usual manner by' a spark the same readiness of ignition is observed and in addition thereto the glow, particularly ifincreased by blowing, rapidly develops local.

points of high temperature or even sometimes throws off sparks, and the gases produced by the glowing combustion are ignited thereby to produce a steady flame. lVith either method of ignition to produce the flame, the wick will thereafter continue to burn with a flame as long as it projects above the rim of the lighter tube in which the wick is contained. e believe the metallic powders used to ignite the inflammable gases behave like flash light powders, furnishing the points of higher temperature necessary for inflammation of the gas, andv that the vigor of the action of such powders is dampened or modified or rendered safe and extin uishable when desired, by the fat matter which is incorporated in the wick material. If on making wicks in accordance with the above, the vapors from the glowing wick do not readily ignite to produce a suflicient flame, more fat material should be added. When the fat material is in creased a larger proportion of the actively combustible metal or a more actively com bustible material may be used. Less actively combustible metals or materials may be used or a large proportion of such metals or materials may be used in the mixture if less fat material is incorporated therein. Forbring ing about this sparking or ignition of the gas to produce a flame we have used, sulphur, red phosphorus, phosphorous sulphide, cerium and zinc dust with varying degrees of success. 7

It is not necessary that the entire core be impregnated with the metallic combustible nor with the gum elemi or other resinous matter but wherever the secondary sparking material is incorporated in the wick we prefer also to use the gum elemi or other resinous or other organic damping material therein to prevent dangerous activity of the metallic combustible, so that generally it is preferred to impregnate the entire core with the fat material. Magnesium powder alone may be used by suit ably adjusting the proportion of gum elemi or other organic matter used to dampen the vigorous combustible action. In some cases metallic cerium itself may be substituted for magnesium. Other gum, resinous I matters or organic fat matters maybe used in part or even wholly provided they give off, when the wick glows, sufficient inflammable gas to produce the desired or required flame. For example we have used thus, sealing Wax, lard, spindle oil and vaseline with more or less success. But we find that the gum elemi is particularly advantageous not only in damping the action of the metallic [combustible powders, but also in promoting the initial ignition and glowing of the wick and producing a good flame. From the above it will be clear to those skilled in the art that wicks in. accordance with our invention may be produced in many other ways. For example, in the broader aspects of the invention wicks may be produced by taking Wood fiber which is naturally sufliciently resinous, or other suitable resinous material, and treating it to make it sulficiently porous or tow like in character. Likewise any suitable fat material may be extruded to form fibres and these used to make a tow like wick. Any suitable sparking material may be added to or incorporated with any of the above to ignite the gas to produce the desired flame therefrom. Many other changes and modifications may be made and the invenvention embodied in widely dili'ering forms.

,Vhat we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A lighter wick made of material capable of being ignited to glow from sparks, and containing tat matter, non-volatile at ordinary temperatures, and adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick, a readily infiammable 2. A lighter wick made of material capable l of being ignited to glow from sparks, and

having incorporated therewith resinous matter adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick, a readily inflammable gas.

3. A lighter wick made of material capable of being ignited to glow from sparks, and having incorporated. therewith gum elemi, and adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick, a readily inflammable gas.

4. A lighter wick made of material capable of being ignited to glow from sparks, and containing fat matter, non-volatile at ordinary temperatures, and adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick. a readily inflammable gas, said wick also containing an igniting material adapted to ignite said inflammable gas.

5. A lighter wick made of material capable of being ignited to glow from sparks, and containing fat matter, non-volatile at ordinary temperatures, and adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick, a readily inflame mable gas, said wick also having incorporated therewith a metallic combustible material adapted to be ignited by the glowing of the wick to ignite said inflammable gas.

6. A lighter wick made of material capable of being ignited to glow from sparks, and having incorporated,'therewith fat matter. solid at ordinary temperatures, and adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick, a readily inflammable gas, said wick also having incorporated therewith a metallic magnesium powder adapted to be ignited. by the glowing of the wick to ignite said inflammable gas.

7. A lighter wick made of material capable of being ignited to glow from sparks, and having incorporated therewith gum elemi, solid at ordinary temperatures, and adapted to produce, by the glow of the wick, a readily inflammable gas, said wick also having incorporated therewith a metallic combustible material adapted to be ignited by the glowing of the wick to ignite said inflammable gas.

8. A lighter wick impregnated with gum elemi and having incorporated therewith a sparking material.

9. A dry self flaming lighter wick having incorporated therewith fat matter, insuflicient to prevent the wick from being ignited to glow from sparks and of a character to produce an inflammable gas from the glow.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this fifth day of April, A. D. 1919.

WILLIAM M. GROSVENOR. JOSEPH F. X. HAROLD. 

